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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24099376">Don't Go Breaking My Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizz_Mayhem/pseuds/Lizz_Mayhem'>Lizz_Mayhem</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides Drabbles [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, M/M, Some slight gory imagery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:40:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24099376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizz_Mayhem/pseuds/Lizz_Mayhem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Remus rips his heart out of his chest and offers it to Virgil, Virgil goes along with the joke and accepts it, unknowingly falling into a situation he hadn't even realized could occur.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides Drabbles [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1016622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>217</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fair warning: This is my first time writing Remus, so it might be out of character. I hope you enjoy anyway.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Usually, mornings were times of peace. They were the times where hardly anyone was awake and anyone who <em>did </em>happen to be awake would be able to enjoy some minutes of silence before the chaos of the day stirred the entire mindscape awake. But this morning, Virgil was awakened by some particularly <em>loud</em> arguing from downstairs. He wrapped his pillow around his head to try to muffle the sound but that only seemed to make it worse.</p>
<p>Virgil trudged out of bed, throwing his pillow down to the floor, and walked out of his room. The bickering only worsened once he stepped out and he regretted not bringing the pillow with him. He covered his ears and as he heard someone start shouting, a loud whistle stopped them. A muffled voice sounded out and the bickering picked up again, quieter this time. Virgil let out a sigh of relief and uncovered his ears.</p>
<p>Virgil couldn’t hear much from where he stood but he managed to hear the phrase “He’s your brother, Roman” slip out of Janus’ mouth and he immediately made a mental note to stay out of Roman’s way for the entire rest of the week. It was obvious that Virgil had not been the only one to struggle with accepting the dark sides but Virgil could at least say that he was acting more civilized about it than <em>Roman </em>was, what with Roman constantly berating his brother over every little annoyance he did. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into Roman, since he usually just ignored his brother’s antics, so he could only assume that he had finally gotten fed up and was prone to losing it at any moment now.</p>
<p>“Whatcha doing?”</p>
<p>Virgil jumped and punched the side who stood directly behind him. It was Remus, and he fell back and landed with a loud <em>thud</em> on the ground. Virgil groaned and ran a hand over his face as Remus laughed.</p>
<p>“I <em>hate</em> when you do that!”</p>
<p>Remus giggled and stood up.</p>
<p>Virgil couldn’t say he was comfortable with Remus and Janus’ constant presence around the mindscape but he also couldn’t say that he completely hated them being around. Okay, maybe a part of him <em>could</em> say that, but that was irrelevant. What <em>was</em> relevant was getting onto friendly terms with the other two dark sides since Thomas seemed to be <em>fully </em>accepting of Janus, which meant Remus was just brought along for the ride. Getting back to that point was easier said than done, however, since it had been so long since he’d considered either of them friends, if he had even considered them that at all to begin with.</p>
<p>“You know, you have just as good a punch as Logan does! Maybe even <em>better</em>, or, should I say, <em>harder</em>-”</p>
<p>“Stop, don’t...don’t finish that sentence.”</p>
<p>Remus giggled again and suddenly held his hands behind his back.</p>
<p>“I have something for you, Virgil.”</p>
<p>Virgil frowned. He knew what was coming. He knew that this was some sort of set up for Remus to prank him like he always does every week, he knew that Remus was going to pull something out from behind him and try to creep Virgil out, he just <em>knew</em>. Yet, there was nothing he could do to stop it, he had already fallen into the trap, and getting out of it would be deadlier than just dealing with it. So, he braced himself for the worst.</p>
<p>“...What is it, Remus?”</p>
<p>Remus grinned and pulled his empty hands out from behind his back. Virgil raised an eyebrow and glanced between Remus’ hands and his face in an attempt to figure out what prank Remus was trying to pull when Remus suddenly reached a hand into his chest, black blood squirting out from it, and ripped out his black, beating heart. He held it out to Virgil, black blood pooling onto the floor below him, and Virgil watched as it beat and pumped out more black blood.</p>
<p>Admittedly, Virgil had seen far worse from Remus, so all he was able to muster was a quiet, “Oh.”</p>
<p>Remus stopped grinning and tilted his head in confusion.</p>
<p>“Oh? That’s it? No “Ah, what the <em>fuck</em>, Remus?” this time?”</p>
<p>Virgil shrugged. “I mean...the tentacle thing you did last week to Logan was worse.”</p>
<p>“Oh <em>yeah</em>! I should do that again, that was <em>fun</em>! Oh, but-” Remus suddenly pouted, “it’s so <em>hard</em> pulling pranks on Logan. He’s not phased by anything, that dastardly bastard, and it’s only fun when you guys get scared.”</p>
<p>“...I mean, I’m sure Roman-”</p>
<p>“But Roman’s too <em>easy</em> to scare! And, besides, his insecurities scare him just as much as I do.”</p>
<p>Virgil didn’t say anything. He glanced between the heart and the blood that had gained sentience and started pooling down the hall.</p>
<p>“You should clean that up before Logan comes up here and makes you do it.”</p>
<p>Remus looked down and laughed.</p>
<p>“Oh, sure, but you have to promise to keep my heart safe first!”</p>
<p>Virgil opened his mouth to object but then stopped himself. What was the harm in going along with one of his pranks? Especially one that was as harmless as this?</p>
<p>“Alright, fine, but if you <em>really </em>want me to keep it safe-” Virgil suddenly pulled a purple box from his pocket and opened it up, “-then put it in here.”</p>
<p>Remus didn’t say anything as he stared at the box. Virgil wasn’t sure what he had done wrong, if anything, and was about to put the box away when he saw the heart slowly lose its black color and fade into a deep crimson.</p>
<p>
  <em>Woah, that’s new.</em>
</p>
<p>“Do-”</p>
<p>Remus stopped himself. His expression was...well, <em>unreadable</em> to Virgil. It seemed to be changing every second from surprise to confusion to happiness to some emotion Virgil couldn’t quite place a word to. He waved a hand in front of Remus’ face and Remus cupped his heart and looked at Virgil.</p>
<p>“Will you really keep it safe?”</p>
<p>Virgil nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, just put it in the box. I’ll leave it in my room for safekeeping and then give it back whenever you need it or whatever.”</p>
<p>Remus’ eyes lit up and he murmured, “Safekeeping,” before he gingerly placed his heart into the box. Virgil gently squished any of the dangling bits of the heart into the box and slowly closed it to make sure it didn’t close on the heart. He then pulled out a black key from his pocket and, after making a keyhole on the box, locked it. He held it up to Remus, whose lips were slightly parted and eyes were watching Virgil’s every move with the same unnamed emotion from earlier.</p>
<p>“Okay, it’s safe. Now could you <em>please</em> clean up before Logan-”</p>
<p>Remus snapped his finger and the blood quickly retreated back into Remus’ body. Virgil felt the heart hit the side of the box and his eyes widened as he frantically searched for any part that might have escaped out of some gap he hadn’t seen. There were none. He looked back at Remus to see that the gaping hole that he had ripped into his chest was now sewn back together. Yes, <em>sewn</em>, with stitches. Virgil wasn’t sure why Remus hadn’t just patched himself normally but then he realized that normal wasn’t part of Remus’ aesthetic.</p>
<p>Remus smiled softly at Virgil and he was a little taken aback by the expression since he’d only ever seen his wicked grin and pouts. Before Virgil could say anything more, though, Remus was swallowed whole through the floor, and in his place, he left behind a large, black puddle of black ooze.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the-</em>
</p>
<p>“Virgil?”</p>
<p>Virgil jumped and nearly dropped the box. He managed to catch it and shove it, and the key, into his pocket before turning around to face the side who had addressed him. It was Logan, and he stood at the bottom of the stairs with a concerned look on his face.</p>
<p>“Is something the matter? We thought we heard Remus’ voice-”</p>
<p>“No, nothing’s, uh, nothing’s wrong. Remus was just trying to prank me and, uh, you know how that usually goes.”</p>
<p>Janus suddenly popped his head into view and smirked.</p>
<p>“Oh yes, that usually ends with <em>you</em> screaming off the top of your lungs from being <em>frightened</em> by them.”</p>
<p>Virgil frowned.</p>
<p>“I don’t scream at the top of my lungs-”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s right, you don’t, do you? No, because you’re <em>brave</em> and you’re not afraid of <em>anything</em>, isn’t that right?”</p>
<p>Virgil stared at Janus, trying to come up with a witty remark but found nothing worth saying, so instead, he asked, “What is your problem?”</p>
<p>Janus’ smirk disappeared. Virgil waited for him to say something else, some quip that he had probably been waiting to say to him for who knows how long, but Janus said nothing. Virgil turned away from them and walked back to his room, deciding it best to leave the conversation at that. He heard some murmur from downstairs but didn’t stop to catch any of it as he walked into his room and shut the door. He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh before setting the box down on the beanbag that sat in the corner of his room.</p>
<p>“I guess this is where the gift pile is gonna go now...although, I don’t think I can actually call Remus’ heart a <em>gift</em>.”</p>
<p>Virgil picked his pillow up off of the floor and flopped onto his bed. He hugged the pillow and stared up at his ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm himself.</p>
<p>
  <em>It’s gonna be a long day today...</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You know what we should do right now?”</p>
<p>“Fake our death, become a local cryptid, and marry Mothman?”</p>
<p>Virgil froze. He felt everyone’s eyes on him and he immediately covered his face with one hand and peeked through his fingers to see Remus staring at him with a wide grin.</p>
<p>“That is the <em>fourth </em>time this week,” Logan said, glancing between Remus and Virgil. “First you both suggest ending Thomas’ problems by jumping off the nearest cliff, then you both tell Janus to quote “Shove it and shut it” when he flipped Virgil off after being annoyed at one of his comments, <em>then</em> you both reply with quote “That’s where my hopes and dreams went to die” when Patton held up an old notebook that he had been holding onto for <em>quite </em>some time, and now <em>this</em>, in response to Roman’s question.”</p>
<p>Virgil let out a sigh and removed his hand from his face. Remus giggled and wrapped an arm around Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil tried to push him off but Remus held onto him.</p>
<p>“We’re mind readers!” he said. “We didn’t tell you?”</p>
<p>“<em>I</em> didn’t even know,” Virgil muttered as he gave up trying to shove Remus off of him and instead picked up his pack of pop tarts.</p>
<p>Breakfast had never really been the same since Janus and Remus joined. Before, Patton, Logan, and Roman all sat on the couch and ate their plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs there while Virgil sat on the counter and nibbled on a pancake. Once the dark sides joined, Janus had conjured up a kitchen table for them to all sit at. Virgil and Remus were the only two who wouldn’t sit at the table, Remus choosing to instead sit <em>on</em> the table or on the floor. Recently, though, Remus had decided to sit right next to Virgil on the counter and, instead of eating his normal breakfast of whole onions and worms, eat some pancakes and bacon.</p>
<p>And, of course, there was the dilemma of the two now saying various phrases at the same time. Virgil hadn’t been sure what to make of it and he figured that the others had even <em>less</em> of an idea of what to make of it.</p>
<p>“No, you didn’t tell us, Remus,” Janus said, his voice low.</p>
<p>Virgil noticed something in Janus’ tone. What was it? Curiosity? Disgust?...Jealousy? No, it couldn’t have been jealousy, what was there to be jealous of?</p>
<p>“Care to explain how long you two have been mind readers?”</p>
<p>“Since the beginning of the week. Duh!”</p>
<p>Janus slowly nodded and Virgil watched as he took a slow sip from his coffee.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the-</em>
</p>
<p>“Well, if we’re done with the interrogation, may I suggest moving on to more important matters?” Logan asked.</p>
<p>“Oh, <em>of course</em>, Logan,” Janus said. “Sorry to steal your spotlight.”</p>
<p>Virgil glanced between Janus and the others. He saw Roman shrug and Patton shoot him an “I don’t know, either, kiddo” look. Logan didn’t acknowledge him and instead answered Roman’s question with a list of productive tasks they could all do. Roman groaned and said something about not wanting to do work that day, instead prompting the question so that he could answer with a <em>fun</em> activity to do. Logan said something in response to Roman’s whining but Virgil didn’t catch any of it. He was too preoccupied with deciphering Janus’ attitude at the current moment.</p>
<p>Something was just <em>off</em> with how Janus was acting towards him and Virgil wasn’t sure if it was because Janus still harbored hatred for him and was thus acting it out in small doses to relieve himself of it - which was perfectly <em>plausible </em>and understandable, it wasn’t like Virgil didn’t still dislike him - or if there was some other cause for it. The more Virgil thought about it, the more his head began to hurt, so he decided to forget about it and eat his pop tart.</p>
<p>The rest of the day went just about the same as breakfast had. Every now and then when Remus and Virgil were in the same vicinity, the two either agreed on the same ideas or said the same phrase outright. And every time it happened, Janus was there to question Remus about it and shoot a glare at Virgil. The others were so confused by Janus’ behavior that by the seventh time it had happened that day, Logan had asked to speak with him in private. The two sank out of the room and Virgil turned to Remus, who sat cross-legged on the floor as he stabbed one of his eyeballs with a fork.</p>
<p>“What’s his problem?” he asked.</p>
<p>Remus looked up from his activity and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Dunno, never seen him like this.”</p>
<p>“<em>Never</em>?” Roman asked him.</p>
<p>Remus nodded, causing his other eye to fall out. He then laughed and popped his eyes back into his head. Roman looked away, disgusted.</p>
<p>“<em>Why</em> do you exist?” he asked.</p>
<p>Remus and Patton gasped. Virgil’s jaw dropped and he stared at Roman.</p>
<p>“Dude, what is <em>your</em> problem?”</p>
<p>Roman looked up at him and frowned.</p>
<p>“First it’s Janus just...I don’t know, being bit- annoyed, I guess, and now it’s <em>you</em> saying some fu- messed up stuff.”</p>
<p>Virgil glanced at Patton, who nodded at him. He nodded back and glanced back at Roman.</p>
<p>“Listen, I know you don’t like Thomas accepting them-”</p>
<p>Roman scoffed. Virgil frowned.</p>
<p>“Roman, I’m serious. I was in that position some time ago, wasn’t I?”</p>
<p>Roman’s frown disappeared. Virgil motioned to Remus.</p>
<p>“There’s no helping it, Roman. He’s just...like this. Janus and Remus...and I are just stuck the way we are and it’s hard trying to adjust to...<em>normality</em>, if you wanna call it that. We may never even fully adjust - I know <em>I</em> haven’t. So, I don’t know, maybe consider that before saying some more sh- stuff like that.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for not cursing, kiddo,” Patton said. Virgil gave him a thumbs up.</p>
<p>Roman didn’t say anything at first and Virgil wondered if he had even absorbed any of the words he had just told him, but his expression suddenly softened, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out a long sigh before looking back up at Virgil.</p>
<p>“Alright, I’ll take your advice on that. I guess I just...I don’t know, the wound still hurts, I guess.”</p>
<p>Patton placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder and Roman smiled at him and placed a hand over his. Virgil glanced over at Remus and his heart skipped a beat as he saw Remus looking up at him with a small smile and that same look in his eyes from earlier in the week. He pushed the feelings away and focused on trying to identify the emotion in his eyes but it irritated him that he couldn’t. It <em>looked </em>like a mix of surprise and...<em>love</em>? No, it couldn’t have been love, why would Remus look at <em>him</em> like that?</p>
<p>Logan and Janus suddenly reappeared and Logan announced that the issue had been resolved, at least for the moment. Virgil felt a wave of relief wash over him and as everyone continued on with their tasks for the day, it seemed that things really had been resolved. Remus and Virgil said the same phrase a couple more times that day and every time it happened, Virgil noticed Janus bite his tongue and stretch his fingers out before continuing his task. He also noticed that Remus seemed to follow him around more often but he chalked it up to Remus not wanting to be around Roman after the comment he made earlier.</p>
<p>Once dinner rolled around, Virgil sat on the counter with his bowl of chicken and rice and Remus sat next to him with a steaming ball of rice in his hands. He probably would have asked Remus if it hurt him had he not remembered who Remus was. He focused on his food and listened as Logan read out the plans for tomorrow and the expected tasks they were all going to carry out. Roman whined once more about the list and Logan reminded Roman that they were necessary for Thomas’ self-care routine. Virgil saw Janus look up at Logan and a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.</p>
<p>
  <em>Huh...Wonder what that’s about...</em>
</p>
<p>“Virgil, look.”</p>
<p>Virgil turned to Remus to see that he had molded the rice ball into a heart. Virgil’s eyebrows raised and he held his hand out asking for permission to examine it. Remus handed it over with a grin and Virgil looked at it. He saw that it was held together by some black ooze - probably blood of some sort - and it was a little lumpy in some parts, but the shape itself was mostly intact.</p>
<p>Remus giggled. Virgil looked over at him.</p>
<p>“You look like Logan when you do that.”</p>
<p>Virgil groaned and handed the heart back to Remus.</p>
<p>“Oh nooo, how <em>dare</em> you compare me to the smartest side here.”</p>
<p>Remus laughed and Virgil picked his bowl back up and finished off his food. Remus picked up the heart and cradled it in his hands.</p>
<p>“Do you still have my heart?” Remus asked.</p>
<p>Virgil’s heart fluttered when he heard Remus’ voice but the feeling was also mixed with surprise because of how <em>smooth</em> his voice had come out at that moment. It was eerily similar to Roman’s voice, except Remus’ still had a noticeable “croaky” quality to it that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. Or maybe he didn’t want to, Virgil couldn’t be sure.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah, yeah I do. It’s still in the box I put it in-”</p>
<p>Remus gasped and smiled.</p>
<p>“You kept your promise.”</p>
<p>Virgil slowly nodded, now noticing Remus’ eyes becoming half-lidded. His smile never left him.</p>
<p>“Well, I mean...<em>yeah</em>. It’s your heart, why <em>wouldn’t</em> I keep my promise? I’d have to be a pretty shitty person not to, Remus. That’s like if I were to give my heart out - not that I would - I’d want people to, y’know, <em>not </em>treat it like shit, so I’m sure you wouldn’t want that either-”</p>
<p>“Virgil. Remus.”</p>
<p>The two turned to Logan, who sat staring at them with his hands folded on the table. Virgil noticed Roman staring at him with wide eyes and Janus <em>scowling</em> at him.</p>
<p>“Did you hear a word of what I just said?”</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Remus’ voice had returned back to its natural, croaky state. “Self-care, doing our jobs right, not getting in each other’s way - which will be a very hard thing for me to do, Logan-”</p>
<p>“Yes, so I’ve noticed.” Logan turned to Virgil. “Has Remus been bothering you, Virgil?”</p>
<p>Virgil shrugged. “I mean, not more than he usually does, no.”</p>
<p>Remus grinned. Logan nodded and turned to Janus.</p>
<p>“What did we talk about earlier, Janus?”</p>
<p>Janus didn’t say anything. He sank out and Logan let out a sigh before turning to the others.</p>
<p>“I think it’s about time we head off to bed.”</p>
<p>“I agree!” Patton said almost immediately as he stood up. Roman stood up too, and both Remus and Virgil got off the counter.</p>
<p>Everyone made their way upstairs and as Virgil approached his room, he heard Remus wish him goodnight. Virgil wished him goodnight, noticing Roman’s jaw drop as he did so, before walking into his room and shutting the door behind him.</p>
<p>Virgil had expected his room to be completely shrouded in darkness, as it usually was whenever he entered it, but tonight he was met with a rather pleasant surprise. His entire room was lit up with a soft red-violet glow that illuminated from the box. He picked it up from the beanbag chair and took out the black key he had created for it. As he unlocked the box, the lid popped open and the heart glowed with a brilliant red radiance. It slowly beat and Virgil stared down at it in awe.</p>
<p>
  <em>Woah...I <strong>really </strong>need to take care of this...</em>
</p>
<p>Virgil closed the box and locked it up before placing it back onto the beanbag chair.</p>
<p>
  <em>...I wonder if Remus is ever gonna ask for it back...</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another week had come and gone and Virgil had begun to feel uneasy.</p>
<p>Remus hadn’t asked for his heart back, which was fine, Virgil didn’t think Remus <em>needed</em> his heart to function properly and as long as he kept it in the box, it was safe. However, Janus had grown more hostile towards him and every now and then he’d catch Roman giving him a weird glance. He wasn’t sure what had prompted this sudden change in behavior but he was only brave enough to confront Roman about it. Roman had said that it was unintentional and that he hadn’t even realized he’d been doing it. He then made a joke about how he couldn't stand seeing his face anymore and Virgil had made a joke about how they both knew that wasn’t how Roman <em>really</em> felt about Virgil. Right after that joke, they had heard a loud crash from upstairs and they later found out Remus had completely trashed his room. Now, Remus refused to even <em>look </em>at Virgil and sat right beside Janus and sulked all day in his room.</p>
<p>Although Virgil hadn’t wanted to admit it, the change in Remus had affected him more than Janus’, mostly because - and his fear prevented him from fully acknowledging this until now - he seemed to have fallen for the intrusive side. He had never once thought he ever would in a million years, yet here he was, smiling alone in his room at the mere thought of Remus. But that hadn’t lasted very long before the change happened.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the hell is going on? First it’s Janus, then Roman, and now Remus?</em>
</p>
<p>Virgil couldn’t come up with a rational explanation for the changes and eventually, he gave up trying. He trudged into his room and as he stepped inside, he saw the box shaking violently in the beanbag chair.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the-</em>
</p>
<p>Virgil picked it up and unlocked it. Remus’ heart practically shot out of the box. Virgil caught it and his eyes widened as he saw that Remus’ heart had changed back to black and was now dripping black blood.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shit! What happened to it?! It was fine earlier, why did it-</em>
</p>
<p>Virgil’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Remus’ heart jumped again, towards the door, and Virgil managed to catch it again. His eyes widened as he saw dark red blood seeping into his room underneath his door.</p>
<p>“Remus?”</p>
<p>His door swung open and revealed a disheveled looking Remus standing before him. His eyes were red and puffy, almost as if he’d been crying for a while, and his chest had reopened to reveal a gaping hole. Virgil’s jaw dropped and he tried to ask Remus what was wrong, if something had happened to him, <em>anything</em>, but no words came out and he was left gaping at him like a fish out of water. Remus held his hand out and Virgil watched as his heart jumped from his hand to Remus’. Remus stared down at his heart.</p>
<p>“I thought you said you’d take care of my heart,” he said quietly. His voice had a hint of restrained anger behind it and Virgil was careful to choose the next words he wanted to say.</p>
<p>“I tried my best, Remus, I really did. I don’t know what happ-”</p>
<p>“I can tell you what happened.” Remus looked up and shot a glare at him. “I was stupid, that’s what happened. I trusted you with my heart and that was stupid of me because I wasn’t good enough, that’s what happened. I was stupid to trust you because <em>of course</em> you’d fall for Roman, he’s so much better than me, isn’t he? He’s much more dashing and <em>normal</em> and he shares more interests with you than I do and I’m pathetic. That’s. What. Happened.”</p>
<p>Virgil felt like he had been punched in the gut ten times over and was now slowly suffocating on Remus’ words. Had Remus been in love with him this whole time? How had he not noticed? How had he been so <em>dense</em> to where he hadn’t realized that Remus was romantically interested in him? And did Remus <em>really</em> believe that he had fallen for Roman? How? He couldn’t even admit to liking him as a friend, much less anything more. How had he been so naive?</p>
<p>Remus stuffed his heart back into his chest. Virgil could see his eyes beginning to well.</p>
<p>“You broke your promise and it was because <em>I</em> was too in love to see-”</p>
<p>“Remus, stop.”</p>
<p>Remus looked up at Virgil, who had now run a hand over his face and shook his head.</p>
<p>“You- You’re in love- I’m <em>not</em> in love with Roman, are you kidding me? Why- How did you even- Was you giving your heart to me your way of telling me you were in love with me?”</p>
<p>Remus slowly nodded and Virgil watched as the gears began to click in Remus’ head.</p>
<p>“You didn’t- You thought it was just...just another prank, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>Virgil nodded and Remus stared down at the ground. He murmured something under his breath before letting out a shaky laugh and looking back up at Virgil.</p>
<p>“Now everything makes sense.”</p>
<p>“What? What do you-”</p>
<p>“The way you’d react to certain things I said or did...Janus was angry with you because he thought you were just using me but now I know you didn’t even know-”</p>
<p>“Wait, what? Using you? For what?”</p>
<p>Remus shrugged. “I still don’t know. I’m sorry, I should’ve been more upfront-”</p>
<p>“No, <em>I’m </em>sorry.”</p>
<p>Remus looked at Virgil and Virgil could see the hurt in his eyes. It was enough to make his heart hurt.</p>
<p>“I...I can’t be trusted with shit, Remus, I always end up ruining everything. You fell in love with the wrong person, you shouldn’t have-”</p>
<p>Virgil stopped talking as he saw the blood slowly retreat back into Remus’ body. Remus took a step forward and gripped Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil looked up at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“You don’t ruin anything,” Remus said softly. “You make everything better, you fix things between us and <em>them</em>.”</p>
<p>Remus suddenly reached into his chest and pulled his heart out again. The heart had lightened up again, this time into a light pink, and Remus stared at Virgil with a pleading look in his eyes.</p>
<p>“Would you take care of my heart if I have it back to you?”</p>
<p>Virgil’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>“Remus, you shouldn’t trust me-”</p>
<p>“Virgil, would you?”</p>
<p>Virgil glanced between the heart and Remus. He wanted to say no, his fear was telling him no and every instinct in his body was screaming at him to say no because he <em>knew</em> he would end up ruining his chances somehow because of the way he was. And yet there was a part of him that just couldn’t, a part of him that wanted so desperately to indulge in being in love with Remus and to finally have something he’d always wanted, not because he thought he deserved it, but because he felt that he at least owed Remus his happiness, too.</p>
<p>Virgil cupped Remus’ face and gently pulled him into a kiss. Remus immediately dropped the heart and wrapped his arms around Virgil, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss in the process. Virgil pulled away, much to Remus’ dismay, and smiled softly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Remus. I would.”</p>
<p>Virgil looked down and spotted Remus’ heart a few inches away from them. He tried to lean over to pick it up, but Remus pulled him back into another kiss. Virgil chuckled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Remus’ neck. He decided he’d just have to pick the heart up later when he wasn’t so busy.</p>
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